Hlavac Places

Here's the whole story:

Legendary calf part of deal

By LISA K. HIATT
Tribune Correspondent


Lawrence - Hlavac Hardware here is for sale.
(Say, shouldn't that be Hlawrence?)
But there's a catch for interested buyers.
Included in the deal are the inventory, fixtures - and a stuffed two-headed calf.
John "Jack" Hlavac, store owner, obtained the calf when he bought out the R.B. Mclllece Hardware store in 1952.
Hlavac said McIllece got the calf from a local farmer after it died at birth. Mclllece had the calf stuffed by a taxidermist.
"I remember going into the store as a boy and seeing the calf," said Hlavac, 67. "It wasn't something a young boy would forget."
The calf has a normal body. But it has two necks and two heads. Above the tail is another small leg and a tail. There also is an extra leg attached to the upper back near the necks.
According to legend, the mother did not survive the birth, Hlavac said.
Hlavac, a lifelong Lawrence resident, is sentimental about keeping the calf in town. He has seen too many nostalgic items disappear.
"They've lost too much already," he said.
He recalled a beautiful fresco artwork at a church in town that was painted over in the 1960s in an attempt to modernize and a large windmill that was taken down after the steam engines it operated were shut down.
Some of the buildings in town lost their historical significance after businesses cleared out antiques to make way for new furnishings, he said.
In remodeling his own store, Hlavac said he is glad he didn't cover up its tin ceiling.
Hlavac retired for a time when his son, Jeff, took over the business. But Jeff moved to Montana last summer so Hlavac is back in charge and wants to sell. He doesn't want the business to close.
Hlavac has had a few opportunities to sell just the calf but declined.
It should stay in the hardware store, he said.
"If we can sell the store intact, then (the calf) would be part of it," Hlavac said. "I'd really like to see it stay in town."
Copyright © 1995 Hastings Tribune.